Looking for new ways to target your existing audience on Facebook? We don’t just mean those who are already following you on Facebook—we’re talking about audiences from elsewhere, like from your website or app traffic, your customer lists, as well as those who engage with you on Facebook.
With Facebook’s Custom Audiences, you can find these existing audiences from elsewhere and then target them with ads on Facebook. This feature allows you to create a more holistic relationship with your existing audience, letting you send them your marketing messages through Facebook in addition to your existing channels.
Facebook allows each ad account to create up to 500 Custom Audiences. It offers four different types:
Website Custom Audiences
If your website includes the Facebook pixel code, you can use Custom Audiences to target Facebook ads to those who have visited your site. With this tool, you can create a Custom Audience of any group of visitors that have gone to your website. You can then reach them with targeted Facebook ads.
As an example, you could create a Custom Audience of everyone who has visited your site in the past month and tailor a specific marketing message to them. Another option is to run a campaign aimed at people who visited a product page, but didn’t complete their purchases. A gentle follow-up ad after their visit could be the final impetus they need to pull the trigger and make the purchase.

If your website does not currently have the Facebook pixel in its code, you can learn more about it and find out how to put it in your website at the above link. Once it has an active pixel, you can create a website Custom Audience by following these instructions.
App Activity Custom Audiences
If your organization has an app, you can use the Facebook SDK to target your users with Facebook ads. You can use the SDK to pass data from your app to Facebook, which then lets you target Facebook ads to Custom Audiences.
These can be specific groups of people who use your app, such as those who already have it but don’t use it as frequently as you would like them to. Facebook’s app activity Custom Audience tool could then be used to run an app ad engagement campaign that encourages or incentivizes them to use the app.
You can set up app activity Custom Audiences by first registering your app and then setting up the SDK. Once you log app events, you can set up your Custom Audience.
Customer List Custom Audiences
By combining your customer list with Facebook’s Custom Audience tool, you will be able to reach everyone on your customer list with Facebook ads. This allows you to engage with them in another channel, which can help to boost brand awareness and sales.

To integrate your customer list with the Custom Audience tool, you will need to provide Facebook with information about your customers so that it can match the data to their Facebook profiles. This information, such as phone numbers, addresses and emails, is used to help find the customers that you are trying to target. These instructions include the information formatting guidelines, as well as the next steps you need to take in order to upload your customer list to Facebook.
Engagement Custom Audiences
Facebook also lets you create engagement Custom Audiences, which are composed of those who have engaged with your content across Facebook’s platform, other apps and services. By engagement, Facebook means those who have watched your videos, responded to your event, or taken similar actions. The engagement types include:
- Facebook page
- Instagram business profile
- Event
- Video
- Lead form
- Canvas/collection
You can create a Custom audience for each of the above by visiting this page and clicking on the link for each of the respective engagement types. Engagement Custom Audiences give you another way to interact with your audience, helping you build a bond and more effectively market to them.Need more help thinking through Facebook Custom Audiences, or any other ad product? Definitely let us know!Email or call:
617-378-7277